2.26.2014

Where you could spend hours upon hours in bed drinking coffee, not wanting to leave your cozy cocoon, but instead to stay for all eternity. Pull the blankets up over your head so the world can't see you. Peek out only to see the happy sun through the window. Drink some coffee. Repeat.

2.25.2014

Yes. I'm a tiny bit obsessed. Embroidery, I know. I talk about it a lot.

I got my second custom order today! Oh, it just makes me feel so awesome. It is going to be the sweetest little project for a nursery for two little boys that have been adopted from Taiwan. I'm very thrilled for it.

2.24.2014

Yesterday Brian and I, along with 4 other close friends, spent the day at the hospital, waiting for the moment when 2 more close friends became parents. It was a sweet, sleepy, happy day.

I know this is a weird picture... I was going to crop it down so you could just see our visitor passes, but then after I took it, I kinda just liked it how it was.

We didn't get to meet our new friend-niece yesterday because they ended up needing a c-section, but I did get to hold the new mama's hand for a bit before she delivered and hug the new dad.

She is the first little one to be born into our little circle, so we are all pretty excited for her.

Happy tired.

I also made candied grapefruit peel! I think I'm one of the only people in the world that enjoys candied citrus peel... but that's ok! More for me! And it really ends up being such a pretty, smelly-goody process.

2.20.2014

So because I missed a day for the challenge that I created for myself, I asked my sister and Pamela to give me a specific challenge for a photo to make up for the one that I missed.

My sister challenged me to capture something that her and Pamela both have in common.

Now, I could have gone anywhere with this.
They are both the younger of two siblings.
They are both within my very favorite people range.
My sister is a Gemini and Pamela's rising sign is Gemini.
They both like bold colors. Like purple.
They both have a love for the same types of pens.

So I bought a purple pen.

This may sound weird, but it is the one quality I wanted to focus on.
Now, I didn't buy the style of pen that they like, instead I bought a purple pen in the style that I like. Super extra fine.

And another thing they both have in common is that they will both be getting post cards from me. Written in purple ink.

Postcards from this new book of mine.

And everyone knows that new pens are just the best. So I brought out the big ol' roll of paper, and started to write out new ideas and to-do lists.

And at first I thought to myself, that with all of these new colors, I could easily color coordinate and that would be lovely! So organized! So bright and cheery!

Only to realize half way through my list that I was only using the black pen.

Ok, off to bed.

Your black ink loving friend,
Who likes the colors but mostly refuses to use them,
Breezy

2.19.2014

More camera issues have kept me busy today. Working on getting that other lens fixed so that I can take pictures again! Right now I am resorting to using the 55-200mm lens to take all of my pictures. The good news is at least I have a lens to be taking pictures with. The bad news is that it is really fucking hard to take pictures with. I have to stand a whole room away in order to capture a good/clear picture. I miss my other lens....

Anyways, here is my picture for the day. My parents got me a tripod for my birthday and so I am now able to be IN my pictures! Next up... A remote for the shutter! I'm gettin' fancy!

Brian and I started playing guitar again and it feels so good! Music is the whole reason we first met, then hung out, then dated, so it is nice to get back into those connections.

I also made another one of these bad boys. With a few minor changes. The original one was my most favorite embroidery/etsy project so far, and it was also my most popular item, so when it sold I decided to make another!

Also, here is my new keyboard. The colors and design I picked out, and Brian picked out the brand and model. Each key has an LED back light so I can type in the dark.

2.17.2014

Brian took me to Portland on the day before my birthday and it was fabulous! We did a snippet of all of my favorite things and I truly felt spoiled.

Coffee. Books. New outfits that make you feel like a badass. Pestofriedchicken. French fries. Happy hour beer. New music. Great talks. Aimless wanderings in the pouring rain. Movie theaters.

Ending with a crazy, stormy midnight drive home.

It was all in all quite lovely.

On the unfortunate side of things, my portrait camera lens stopped working.
While we were on our trip. Quite the bummer.
I am now left with taking pictures with the only other lens that I have... the landscape one.
It is extremely difficult to use and I feel completely inadequate.

Hopefully it won't be a difficult fix and the warranty will cover it with no problems.

For now, pictures are quite a bit more challenging.

Also, I think I'm caught up with pictures now.

Also, I got so many things for my birthday that will feed the creativity. Lots of creative books. Lots of ideas. Lots of inspiration. Happy.

2.14.2014

Today is Friday February 14th, 2014, and I did not post a creative photo yesterday.

"What's that?" you say, "Who cares?" you say, "One day isn't a big deal!" you say.

And to you I reply, "Yes it is. It is a big deal to me. I started doing this because I wanted to challenge myself. Every day. Not most days but every day." And I just realized that I was still typing in that little chat quotations thing.

If you know me hardly at all you know that I am going to over-analyze this. I will blow it completely out of proportion. It's what I do.

But first, let me tell you why I did not take a creative photo yesterday, and why I've been letting myself slack.

I started a new job yesterday.

"What's that?" you say, "Didn't you just say how much you loved doing your own thing, not having a conventional job?"

And to you I reply, "Yes. But wait! This job is different to me!"

You see, I am now a math tutor, 2 days a week, for 4-5 hours a day. Which is awesome.
This amount of time still leaves me with tons of time to do what I'm already doing. I am still working super hard on creating things for etsy with the hopes that that can be my main sort of income.
Also, I love math. I always have. So yay for jumping back into a skill that I haven't used in years.
Also, I love kids. I always have. And the kids I'm working with are awesome.
Also, this job allows me a little bit of wiggle room financially speaking. If one month etsy doesn't do so well, then I will have a bit of something to fall back on.

So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm super excited for this opportunity. It feels like a really good fit for me right now, where I'm at.

However, I am not used to having a real job. I got spoiled in these last... what? 11 months? Holy shit, has it been that long? Yes. Yes it has. And having a real job, even a small one, was a bit much all at once. It happened really fast and I completely lost yesterday (hence my not having a creative photo).

So. I have another idea.

I want to propose this idea to the people who are coming along on this creative journey with me. I would like to implement a new challenge for if I miss a challenge.

If I miss a day, for whatever reason, one or both of you (or maybe you alternate) should challenge me to a special-make-up-for-slacking-photo. Maybe you think of a tricky subject or a theme you want me to capture. Or maybe you just have a really cool idea for a photo and you want to see me try it. It can be simple or complex. Specific or vague. Whatever. And I think I should have one week to take the said challenge photo on top of my daily photos.

2.10.2014

I have a lot that I want to say about yesterday. Much more than usual.

But I'm also hesitant.

You see, I'm not sure how much I should share on here, what I should share on here, how I should share on here. This is very new, uncharted territory. Photos are one thing. They are personal, but not too personal. Yet, how can I really share yesterday's picture without the whole story?

I also know that people are struggling, and I don't want to paint my life to look like something that is nothing but happiness and pretty pictures, because it isn't. If I have a really good day, I don't want to parade it around and brag about it. But I also don't want to hide it. That might be even worse than painting an overly happy picture of my life.

So with that preface, I'm just going to go for it.

Because I have to bask in moments like yesterday. Because I don't get yesterdays very often.

We had a lovely, lazy Sunday yesterday.

Where we had an idea for a children's book that we are going to write together.
Where we dreamed of our future home.
Where we reflected.
Where we crafted together; him using a dremel, me using thread.
Where everything felt slow.
Where everything felt right.

--We woke up and looked back.

We started at the beginning, at first we joked about our younger, youthful selves, and how silly our love used to be. We talked and realized how amazing it is that we endured it all and are still together. How much our love has evolved, about the craziness of our first months, first year together. I wanted someone to surprise me, someone fearless to distract me. Someone fun and interesting and different. Someone who wasn't afraid to climb buildings and yell in public. He was all of those things. He just wanted someone to play guitar with.

We talked about how amazing it is that it worked. We didn't even know what we wanted. We didn't know what to look for. We weren't thinking about long-term anything. We just wanted to drink and be loud and be young. How could something like that turn into a companionship? A marriage? The strong, stable, soft love that we now know? That two naive, reckless 18 year olds could somehow morph into two people that would end up being us -- two people that want entirely different things than those 18 year olds wanted, yet we still want them together.

--We woke up and looked here.

We talked about where we are now. What we are doing. Us. He is 24 years old, and I will be in 6 days. We studied each others freckles, blemishes, and brilliances. The perfections and imperfections. His first grey hair right at the corner of his forehead, the only one of its kind. My unshaved legs that I jokingly say keep me warm. We stared at our home and the things that fill it, our books and our blankets and our bare feet.

--We woke up and looked ahead.

We dreamed of our future house. The one that we will own. We dreamed of the colors we would paint the inside walls, of the front porch, and the wood shop in the back. We talked about writing stories for our future children, and how an imagination is the best thing you could ever give your child. We dreamed of their names and what they would be like. How they would change us, and how different we will be then.

So my photo today may not be very interesting or creative. It may be simple and I may be a bit repetitive lately. But there is a story behind it.

2.06.2014

It has been a new and terrifying road of discovery, to go without a conventional job for so long. And for the longest time I had my doubts that anything like this could work. That I could make things, and make money off of that. And that could be my job.

But you know what? Its working. I am making things. People are buying them.

I am so grateful, and dumbfounded, and happy. Oh so happy.

I am thankful that I have such amazing people that support and encourage me. And you know what? I'm thankful for the people that doubted me, and still doubt me. For all the people that asked, and still ask when I'm getting a real job.

It has not been easy, and it never will be. And I am far from where I want to be, but it is oh so nice to see progress. I'm trying not to get overly excited about a couple orders, because (like with anything) I know that there will be lulls. That it probably won't be consistent. It is hard not to be overly excited.

Last week...

I got my very first custom order. From a complete stranger. Someone who liked my creations enough to trust me to make not one, but TWO custom items for her. It was the biggest compliment to me.

CUSTOM ORDERS...?? Me?

I've been putting so much love into these two little pieces for her. I will always remember them.

Here is the first, more intricate one:
(Pay no attention to the unfinished edges, that will be done today)

Since I've been doing so much embroidery over here, it is the focus of my daily photo for today:

2.04.2014

I've been having a rough time with the color grey. For some reason, there is no grey linen anywhere. So I bought white linen thinking to dye it, not knowing that both "pearl grey" dye, and "black abyss" dye, would turn fabric a blueish and a purpleish grey respectively.

Also my hands.

Anya wanted in the photo so you could see the difference between purpleish grey / blueish grey / real grey.

But that's ok. I now have two really beautifully colored pieces of linen.

Still no grey linen.

Dearest husband has been sick. Poor husband. I think between the two of us, we've been sick more times in the past 4 months than ever in our lives.

But the good thing about being sick is getting to come home work from early. And eating lots of soup.

And having time to play with kitties.

And having time to drink tea and coffee in bed.

Sorry for all the photos this morning. Actually no, I'm not sorry. That's the whole point of this.

So here is my creative photo for the day. The other ones were just things going on around me. It is creative because I started to dabble in some photo editing. Just the basics... contrast and color balances... sharpening... that sort of thing.